1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to inside deadbolt locks and, more particularly, to apparatus for preventing keys and handles of dead bolt locks from turning.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As is well known and understood, the history of locks goes back to antiquity. Ancient Greece, and ancient Rome, and other civilizations, all utilized some types of locks. The use of deadbolt locks is of more recent vintage.
Very briefly, a deadbolt lock is simply a lock that requires a key for both locking and unlocking. There is no spring element involved in a deadbolt lock.
Deadbolt locks are typically used as an extra precaution in securing a door against possible intrusion that may occur with a typical springloaded lock set in which both the inside and the outside handles or knobs turn.
In addition to different patented locks, themselves, various elements have been developed over the years to prevent a door from opening independently of a lock. The following patents illustrate elements to prevent a door from opening to the inside and all of the elements are independent of the locks themselves:
______________________________________ 817,962 E. Dengler April 17, 1906 836,850 T. Younglove Nov. 27, 1906 874,688 A. Lee Dec. 24, 1907 996,847 J. Gavin July 4, 1911 1,079,860 G. Kiehl Nov. 25, 1913 1,167,342 J. Fraser Jan. 4, 1916 1,467,057 A. Moglock Sept. 4, 1923 1,538,050 J. Mark May 19, 1925 1,571,543 G. Fratzke Feb. 2, 1926 1,627,709 J. Menchen May 10, 1927 1,671,454 E. Stoutenburgh May 29, 1928 1,869,689 J. Holland Aug. 2, 1932 1,971,440 O. Aubertin Aug. 28, 1934 2,396,982 J. Bousquet March 19, 1946 3,596,961 A. Lippman Aug. 3, 1971 3,913,962 K. Briggs Oct. 21, 1975 4,043,578 E. Downs Aug. 23, 1977 4,135,748 C. Roberts Jan. 23, 1979 4,326,394 F. Stein April 27, 1982 4,330,146 E. Sessions, Jr. May 18, 1982 4,387,919 L. Quaintance et al June 14, 1983 4,603,895 A. Langenbahn Aug. 5, 1986 4,653,786 J. Bopst, III March 31, 1987 ______________________________________
U.S. Pat. No. 4,607,253 (Wooten et al) discloses a jamming mechanism which extends between the door and the floor for preventing the door from opening.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,657,293 (Bell) discloses another type of device that fastens to the door jamb and to the floor to prevent the door from opening.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,578,970 discloses a cabinet which fits around a doorknob to prevent access to the doorknob from the outside of a building.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,819,461 (Pearson) discloses a lock for locking the tailgate of a pickup truck by utilizing a bar which is locked in place over the tailgate handle and through a hole in the rear bumper of the vehicle.
The apparatus of the present invention, rather than including separate apparatus for preventing a door from opening, is designed for use with deadbolt locks and which is used to prevent either a key or a deadbolt latch handle from rotating so that the door lock itself is locked in place. The apparatus is relatively inexpensive to manufacture and is relatively simple to use.